The Line He Had To Cross
by SinfulSkye
Summary: Sequel to The Things They Taught Each Other, set fourteen years later. Sakura is still mourning the loss of her love, and it only hurts more that her son is curious. When she kicks him out, will he find the answers?
1. Living

Sakura still remembers the last thing Kakashi said to her. If she remembers right, it was "I Love You". But her mind wanders these days, so she can never be sure if she wishes he said it, or if he truly did. She often regrets that she can't keep herself focused for Hatake – no, Junior. She doesn't call him Hatake, or even Kakashi. It would remind her too much of his father. "Mom? I'm home" Hatake Kakashi –Junior- called through the house, one slightly bloodied hand gripping his kunai. He never knows whether she is there or not; sometimes the body is there,but the soul is lost in memories.

Hatake Kakashi learned a long time ago not to ask about his father. Everytime he does, his mother cries. He can't stand it when his mother cries.

"Hello Junior"

"Mom…..why…" He tries to think about what to say, so she won't cry "Why do you call me Junior?"

"Your father" She answers simply, and looks away. He knows that he shouldn't pry anymore, because it makes her sad. But he's confused, because what the hell did "Junior" have anything to do with his dad? But he doesn't like to see her sad. So he only readjusts his headband – to cover his right eye- and walks to the cupboard. Sakura sighs, sadly, or maybe she'sfrustrated.

"Please, show your right eye Junior"

"Why?"

"You have no Sharingan!" Her tone is almost harsh, and he is almost – almost- afraid. His mother never speaks like that to him.

"What does the Sharingan have to do with anything?" He wonders, because wasn't that a Uchiha trait? But then again, his father could be anyone. Except, at this point in life, he thinks his father might be dead. Why else would his mom look so sad when he mentioned him?

"It has to do with a hell of a lot. Now, adjust that headband" She speaks briskly, as if she has no time for silly things like that. But inside her heart is breaking, because Kakashi wore his headband like that. Junior looks like his father, too. She realizes this everyday.

He hears them whisper

She knows there must be rumours. He looks too much like Kakashi-sensei. Yes, sensei, even fourteen years after he died. He taught her so much, even after they were no longer "Squad Seven". So much, so much, so much.

Hatake Kakashi thinks he needs to know, soon. But who to ask? Iruka-sensei? It was a miracle that Iruka was still alive, so his mother had told him. He thinks he should ask, but he is almost afraid.

Sakura wishes that her son was never born – that they had used some goddamned protection. Somedays she hates herself for thinking that, because he's her son and she should love him, right? But he is also Kakashi-sensei's son, and that hurts too much to think about.

He always imagines that there's a line. The line seperates him from his mother, and from his father – though he doesn't know who that is. Sometimes he thinks maybe that line isn't there for his mother, and that's why she's so distanced from him.

She thinks that if it weren't for Junior, she could have moved on. She knows that her sensei would never fade from her mind, but she thinks life would be less of a silver haze.

His hair was silver.

Hatake Kakashi does things like his father without realizing he does it. She realizes it though, and she is on the verge of telling him to find someplace else to live, someplace where no one cares how he wears his headband or if he's chronically late or if he likes to sneak volumes of "Come Come Paradise" into his room

He is tired of waiting. He hates to see his mother cry, but he needs to know. So with a hint of defiance he tilts his headband down over the right eye, and walks into the kitchen.

"Hello Junior" She speaks calmly and levelly, but her sea-green eyes flash him the warning about his headband.

"Mom……tell me. Please? I need to know" He doesn't forget his manners; after all he is her child as well.

"Tell you what?" She feigns innocence.

"About my dad." A snarl almost escapes her throat, but she pushes it down.

"You know I don't like talking about it"

"I need to know" He repeats. She points to the door.

"Out"

"What?"

"I don't want you here anymore. It's not good for you." She looks at the door, then at Junior, then down. He wants to ask where he will go, but he no longer cares. He knows Sakura is right – it isn't good for him. So he turns and walks out the door. He leaves everything behind.

Tears slip down her face, splashing onto the counter. She thinks she could cry a river, if she wasn't so sure she could drown in it.

And unable to stop the emotion and the pain, a single word, a name rises from her throat and shatters the air.

"Kakashi!" She sobs, and it is unclear who she is crying for.

A/N: Yes, this will be a series. I didn't tag this onto "Things They Taught Each Other", because they're two different stories that connect to each other. Hence,a sequel.


	2. Knowing

Hatake Kakashi- Junior- walks down the street with his one hand shoved in the pocket of his jeans and the other holding a worn volume of the 'adult-themed' book, "Come Come Paradise". Because even though he has nowhere to live and a mother who he thinks just might hate him, he needs to have some comfort. Everyone whispers behind his back; he hears them even when they think he doesn't. He hears them talking about how he looks like his father, how he acts like him, but he doesn't want to be like his father. He doesn't want to be like his mother, either. He wants to be his own person – but the paradox called fate just couldn't have that. Since he doesn't know who his father is, he can hardly avoid being like him. Hatake Kakashi doesn't know if he believes in fate. And even if he did know, he couldn't avoid it anyway since that's just who he is.

He keeps walking, because if he stops he thinks he might break down. His mind doesn't know where to go but his heart does because soon he's knocking on Iruka's door, hoping for an answer. He gets one.

"Who is it?" Iruka calls, unsure.

"Ju- Hatake Kakashi" He almost calls himself junior, but he stops because that's not who he is. He is Hatake Kakashi.

For a split second, Iruka freezes. Hatake Kakashi died years ago. But then he remembers the great jounin's son, his own student. So he walks to the door and pulls it open to find the likeness of his friend leaning against the doorframe, reading.

"What is it, Hatake?" At least someone calls him by his name!

"Iruka-sensei, mother kicked me out" _Sakura? _The teacher thinks; it's been years since he'd seen her but why would she do something like that?

"Why?"

"Because I asked about my dad" _Oh. _Iruka sighs, because he knows there's going to be a lot of explaining to do. Undoubtedly the thirteen-year old had come here for answers, and maybe for a bowl of ramen. And he does what he knows he has to.

"Come in" The teenager does as told, walking calmly into the living room as if it were his own. His sensei fidgets a bit, pacing in front of the window. The questions which remained unasked burn in the child's eyes.

"You want to know who he is, don't you?" Hatake nods, staring at Iruka intently. Almost as if to say 'I'm waiting'. Iruka shifts again, unsure how to start.

"His name was Hatake Kakashi" Things start to click in his head, like why his mother called him Junior. He looked down, thinking that he could finally know – like he'd always wanted to. Suddenly, there was the feel of smooth wood in his hands; his eyes focus on the object: a photo frame, with a photograph inside of it of course. Iruka began to point out things.

"The one with the almost-black hair is Sasuke….and the one with the empty bowl of ramen in front of him…..that's Naruto. The green eyed one is your mother, staring at Sasuke like always, that silly girl. And the oldest one, their sensei, he's-,"

"My father" Hatake breathed out, staring at the photo. Kakashi looked so happy; so did Sakura. "Was Mother ever really that happy?" The question shocks Iruka.

"Of course she was"

"Then..."

"When your father died…."

"Oh" He's always known that he had to be, so why does it hurt so much to hear it said? He feels hot tears stinging his eyes, so he doesn't look at Iruka- sensei but only tells him that maybe he should go now.

"Stay here for a little" The words surprise Iruka, but he doesn't take them back. He feels sorry for the boy.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hatake Kakashi doesn't know if knowing the truth really changes anything. Looking back, he thinks himself a fool for thinking it would. Sure, now he goes out and sits by the memorial every morning just to stare at his dad's name, but how has knowing _helped_? It hasn't, he muses. His mom still hates him and he still had nowhere to live – save for with Iruka-senei – so _how_ has this _helped_? Yet he's still greatful he asked, because know he knows who he's crying for.

A/N: I know it's short, but I'm going to try to make the next one longer. I seem unfriendly with these short, clipped, and rare notes? Nah. I'm just busy writing the actual story. Ja ne!


	3. Open Up

((Two Years Later))

It's dark outside, and Hatake is staring out the window again, looking at the stars. Is there a star for him, somewhere? A lonely, cold star that's just like him? He hopes so. He has no one. He has his team, but what good are they? They fight together, they eat lunch together, but the truth is they go home to loving parents and food on the table and he doesn't. He goes home to a place that's not really home, to Iruka's house, and he eats and sleeps there but everyday he's more alone.

He never visits his mother, and he's stopped visiting the memorial and stopped crying. Crying is useless, anyway. He's stopped asking questions because it's not going to help, either, so he just goes on living and being alone. And most of all, he's stopped speaking. What words can he say that will make a difference? Anything that he says will be regarded as words his father might have said, so the silence becomes him and he, in turn, becomes the silence.

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Iruka worries about the boy, about the silence and the cold stares. He always watches him, while he sleeps, and while he eats and while he studies and he knows that the boy is just like his father. What a curse for him, to be like his dad, because now he can't be an individual and Iruka knows it. Part of him knows that's why the silence came, and part of him just wants to shake him awake. To say "open up", but that's impossible.

Because he is, after all, Kakashi's son.

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End file.
